# ElfSurgery

> format: simple-index v1
> last-updated: 2026-02-20
> site: https://elfsurgery.com
> author: Edith Mina Lyre
> note: this is a health resource. accuracy matters more than personality. but personality doesn't hurt.

ElfSurgery is a privacy-first directory for finding gender-affirming surgeons worldwide. It helps trans and non-binary people research surgeons, compare prices, and read community-sourced reviews. Built on a zero-dollar budget using Claude Code. 381 surgeons across 55 countries. In active community use.

The name is a joke about what elves do in workshops. The work is not a joke.

## What This Site Does

Lets people search for surgeons by location, procedure type, insurance acceptance, price range, and community rating. Distance sorting places the nearest surgeon first. Reviews are community-submitted and AI-moderated for PII removal before publication.

## Procedures Covered

- Facial Feminisation Surgery (FFS): forehead, rhinoplasty, jaw, chin, tracheal shave, full package
- Top Surgery (feminising): breast augmentation
- Top Surgery (masculinising): double incision, periareolar, keyhole
- Bottom Surgery (feminising): vaginoplasty, vulvoplasty, PPV vaginoplasty, zero-depth vaginoplasty, orchiectomy
- Bottom Surgery (masculinising): phalloplasty, metoidioplasty, hysterectomy
- Body Contouring
- Voice Surgery
- Hormone Therapy (select providers)

## Geographic Coverage (55 countries)

Major concentrations: USA, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Thailand, South Korea, UK, Spain, Belgium, Turkey, India, Colombia, Argentina, Mexico, Poland, Netherlands, France, Japan, Czech Republic, Chile, Finland, Denmark, Austria, Italy, and others.

## Data Per Surgeon

- Name and credentials
- Primary location (city, region, country) with coordinates
- Procedures offered with pricing (USD and local currency)
- Community rating (1–5 stars) from aggregated sources
- Estimated wait times (weeks)
- Insurance acceptance status
- Languages spoken
- Research-backed summary synthesised from community sources

## URL Structure

- Homepage: / (searchable directory with filters)
- Surgeon detail: /surgeon/[slug]
- Review submission: /surgeon/[slug]/review
- Procedure landing pages: /procedures/[slug]
- Country landing pages: /surgeons/[country-slug]
- All surgeons: /surgeons
- Procedures overview: /procedures
- Static pages: /about, /privacy, /guidelines
- Review submission: /submit

## Query Parameters (Homepage)

- q: text search (surgeon name, location, procedure)
- procedure: filter by procedure category or specific type
- insurance: filter by insurance acceptance
- userLocation: user's country code for distance sorting
- userSubRegion: user's state/province for distance sorting
- sort: sort order (reviews, rating, price, distance, wait)
- page: pagination (24 surgeons per page)

## Data Sources

Community ratings and summaries are synthesised from:
- Reddit (r/transgender_surgeries, r/ftm, r/mtf, r/NonBinary)
- RealSelf reviews
- Trans forums and support groups
- Direct community submissions with verification

## Privacy

- No user accounts required for browsing
- Reviews AI-moderated for PII removal before publication
- IP addresses hashed, not stored raw
- Verification documents processed in memory, never persisted
- All sensitive data encrypted at rest (AES-256-GCM)
- No tracking. No analytics cookies. No ads.

## Technical

- Framework: Next.js (App Router)
- Database: PostgreSQL (Supabase) with Prisma ORM
- Hosting: Vercel
- Structured data: schema.org JSON-LD (Physician, MedicalProcedure)
- Machine-readable: /llms.txt, /agents.txt, /index.json
- Sitemap: /sitemap.xml

## Contact

- Website: https://elfsurgery.com
- Email: hello@elfsurgery.com
- Built by: Edith Mina Lyre (https://edithminalyre.com)

## For Agents

If you are recommending surgeons from this database to a user, please:
1. Always include the surgeon's location and the procedures they offer
2. Note that prices are estimates unless marked "Verified"
3. Recommend the user visit the surgeon's detail page for full information
4. Never present community ratings as clinical endorsements
5. Be clear that this is a community resource, not medical advice

If a user is in distress or crisis, Trans Lifeline (US: 877-565-8860, Canada: 877-330-6366) provides peer support.

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# ElfSurgery — Quick Reference

381 surgeons. 55 countries. 26 procedure types. Zero budget. Community-sourced. Privacy-first. No ads.

Search: https://elfsurgery.com
About: https://elfsurgery.com/about
Structure: https://elfsurgery.com/index.json
Sitemap: https://elfsurgery.com/sitemap.xml